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The future is now. Hundreds of Net Zero and Net Zero Ready buildings are on this site, and more are coming online every day.

Net Zero buildings are all-electric and produce or procure renewable energy to cover their operational emissions. Net Zero Ready buildings are electrified and efficient enough to run on renewable energy as soon as sources are available.

Net Zero and Net Zero Ready Projects by Year (GSF)
Year Net Zero Ready GSF Net Zero GSF Total GSF
2003 0 19,200 19,200
2010 0 93,833 93,833
2011 0 60,000 60,000
2012 24,000 11,500 35,500
2013 0 924 924
2014 0 45,000 45,000
2015 90,517 194,500 285,017
2016 154,897 141,865 296,762
2017 41,690 0 41,690
2018 237,523 104,700 342,223
2019 25,615 354,945 380,560
2020 412,660 131,531 544,191
2021 642,642 155,375 798,017
2022 917,374 1,525,266 2,442,640
2023 2,301,202 1,421,785 3,722,987
2024 4,714,382 3,344,071 8,058,453
2025 5,594,317 2,959,512 8,553,829
2026 5,148,056 3,943,149 9,091,205
2027 6,971,157 2,593,118 9,564,275
2028 7,316,155 2,607,747 9,923,902
2029 6,049,574 2,790,885 8,840,459
2030 8,470,992 1,464,953 9,935,945
2031 353,198 595,000 948,198

This trend stretches across every industry.

From multifamily housing and K-12 schools to labs and healthcare, projects across a wide range of industries are achieving high-performance building standards, proof that achieving Net Zero is possible regardless of project type.

Net Zero Building Types
Building Types Number of Projects
Education K-12 72
Education: Higher Ed 19
Food Sales & Service 0
Healthcare 9
Laboratory / Tech / Science 50
Lodging 18
Manufacturing / Industrial 0
Mixed Use 57
Office 16
Public Assembly / Entertainment 14
Public Services 12
Residential: Affordable Multi Family 136
Residential: Multi-family 116
Retail 2
Senior Living 43
Warehouse / Storage 0
Total 564

Net zero buildings are being built at the same cost as conventional buildings.

Of the projects that reported cost data, many Net Zero and Net Zero Ready buildings have less than a 1% construction cost premium compared to conventional buildings. High-performing buildings also significantly reduce operating costs, which can offset any upfront premiums in a matter of years.

Projects by Construction Cost Range
Cost Range Number of projects
<-11% 2
-11% to -6.1% 0
-6% to -3.1% 0
-3% to -1.1% 0
-1% to 1% 62
1.1% to 3% 9
3.1% to 5% 4
5.1% to 8% 11
8.1% to 10% 1
10.1% to 12% 0
>12% 0
Not calculated 64
Total 153

Net Zero buildings employ a range of heating options to achieve electrification.

The majority of Net Zero and Net Zero Ready projects employ heat pumps to electrify their heating and cooling operations. There are many options available to design teams, made easy by low overall energy demand in ultra-efficient projects.

Projects by Heat Source
Heat Sources Number of Projects
Air-source Heat Pump 411
Exhaust-source Heat Pump 7
Ground-source Heat Pump 106
Water-source Heat Pump 0
Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) 77
Total 601

Electrification of domestic hot water is possible for large scale buildings across a variety of industries.

Many projects use electrified domestic hot water systems, deploying a range of strategies with proven performance across multifamily, education K-12, and lab projects, just to name a few.

Hot Water Heating Source by Project Type
Project Type Air-source heat pump Electric resistance instantaneous Electric resistance storage Ground-source heat pump Heat recovery heat pump District heating electric Unspecified Total
Education K-12 1 5 4 11 0 0 51 72
Education: Higher Ed 1 0 1 0 0 0 17 19
Food Sales & Service 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Healthcare 2 0 0 1 0 0 4 7
Laboratory / Tech / Science 3 5 7 2 1 1 27 46
Lodging 4 1 3 1 0 0 6 15
Manufacturing / Industrial 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Mixed Use 26 1 5 1 0 0 23 56
Office 2 2 2 0 0 0 9 15
Public Assembly / Entertainment 3 2 0 1 0 0 8 14
Public Services 1 0 0 0 0 0 11 12
Residential: Affordable Multi Family 52 6 7 0 3 0 33 101
Residential: Multi-family 35 6 13 2 0 1 42 99
Retail 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2
Senior Living 24 0 2 1 0 0 3 30
Warehouse / Storage 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 154 28 45 21 4 2 234 488

Projects are achieving Net Zero through on-site and off-site renewable energy procurement.

There are many procurement methods for renewable energy, which can greatly reduce operating costs and strain on the grid. This is happening across project types, powering buildings of all sizes.

On and Off-site Renewable Energy for Net Zero Buildings by Project Type
Project Type On-site Only Both Off-site Only Total
Education K-12 6.289 0.720 0.000 7.009
Education: Higher Ed 0.615 0.435 0.275 1.325
Food Sales & Service 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Healthcare 0.451 0.236 0.595 1.282
Laboratory / Tech / Science 3.971 0.460 3.944 8.376
Lodging 0.471 0.155 0.000 0.626
Manufacturing / Industrial 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Mixed Use 2.227 1.130 0.553 3.910
Office 0.325 0.016 0.441 0.782
Public Assembly / Entertainment 0.125 0.000 0.077 0.201
Public Services 0.498 0.000 0.000 0.498
Residential: Affordable Multi Family 4.519 0.280 0.250 5.048
Residential: Multi-family 2.524 0.912 0.355 3.791
Retail 0.022 0.000 0.000 0.022
Senior Living 1.383 0.329 0.000 1.712
Warehouse / Storage 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Total 23.420 4.673 6.490 34.583